Quote:
Originally Posted by Flash Walken
Could be interpreted multiple ways.
Some guys are hard on themselves and have crazy high standards. They use a pessimistic attitude about their own skills to push themselves to be better and to improve their weaknesses.
Some guys are hard on themselves in a 'poor me' way, finding external justifications for poor performance (New stick, new systems etc), focusing on trying to improve their strengths because focusing on their weaknesses is incompatible with external justifications for poor performance.
IMO Neal was in the second category last year. His "Give a ####" 'o Meter barely seemed to blink during the course of the season, and his lack of engagement against Colorado was a supreme factor in the Flames losing in the way that they did.
I'm sure he's a nice guy and i'm sure he cares, but obviously last season he didn't care enough to change his game to improve the team.
Textcritic suggested that Neal's contract isn't insurmountable because St.Louis and Boston have under performing older players on big tickets as well. I'll leave it to individual posters to determine whether guys like Steen and Backes have their give a #### o meter burning a fiery red glow or not.
Alex Steen is still a capable forward willing to play 13 minutes a night without complaint. James Neal is a significantly worse 3 zone player last seen arguing with the coaching staff for an increase on his 14 minutes per night.
One's a buyout candidate, the other an integral component of a Finals team.
Neal could be a part of a winning group in Calgary, but I just don't think he wants it bad enough to do it.
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I am at a loss how a fan on the outside could come to these conclusions. Singling out Neal for a total team collapse against the Avalanche is one of the most ridiculous things I have seen posted here in a while. Nobody is going to dispute he wasn't in the category of Smith and Bennett in the only two players that elevated their games in the postseason but I'm pretty sure if Monahan, Tkachuk, and Gaudreau played to the levels they are capable of it wouldn't have mattered what Neal did as the team would have beaten the Avs. The guy didn't even play in game 5 which they lost for crying out loud. I guess it's his fault for not waving the pom poms hard enough from the press box.